Life After COVID-19 [On the Golf Course] – CPG Rules Officials

When courses reopened in 2020, committees faced rules questions most had never had to consider – what to do with the flagstick, how to handle bunker rakes, whether foam inserts changed the definition of a holed ball, and how to get scorecards signed without passing paper between players. In this panel session, four CPG rules officials work through the decisions they actually had to make, drawing on Czech Federation local rules prepared by Michael Jon, R&A and USGA COVID-era guidance, and a practical club walkthrough from Andrew Duck and Christiane Stenger at GC Haus Bey in Dusseldorf – which reopened on the day the webinar was recorded.

This Masterclass was filmed in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the references and circumstances reflect that moment in time.

💡 What You’ll Learn

• The flagstick options available to committees in 2020: removing it entirely, keeping it in and prohibiting touch, allowing players to replace it using their gloved hand, and how each option was handled under the existing rules
• How modified hole liners and foam inserts work – and why, when a ball cannot fall below the surface of the putting green, it affects the definition of a holed ball and has implications for handicap posting
• How to replace boundary and hazard stakes with painted lines as a local rule, removing the need for players to handle stakes at all
• Why removing rakes from bunkers was the recommended approach, what to tell players about smoothing with a club or foot, and when a preferred-lie local rule inside a bunker was appropriate for badly damaged sand
• How scorecard procedures were adapted – including results submitted by email, drop-off without handling, and reception staff entering scores without player contact
• How pace of play is affected by COVID-era local rules, and why committees should build extra time allowances rather than penalise players for the additional procedures
• A detailed case study from GC Haus Bey, Dusseldorf – colour-coded walking routes, one-in-one-out pro shop queuing, tee-time booking for range mats, bucket disinfection, staggered tee times with waiting zones, and contactless payment systems
• How CPG coordinated rules guidance across its 36 member countries through its Stay Safe, Stay Learning policy and collaboration with the R&A

👥 Who is This For?

• PGA Professionals involved in running club competitions who had to adapt rules administration during COVID-19
• Club committee members and course managers responsible for setting local rules and preparing facilities for play
• Rules officials who want to understand the full range of options the rules framework permitted during the pandemic
• Golf managers and head professionals looking for a practical model of how to consider the customer journey from car park to first tee under social distancing requirements
• PGA members in CPG member countries who want to understand how the CPG coordinated its rules response internationally

📂 Format & Structure

• 1 video Masterclass (approx. 55 minutes, including live Q&A)
• Estimated completion time: under 1 hour
• Watch at your own pace, on any device

🎤 About the Speaker

This session features a panel of four experienced CPG rules officials: Michael Jon, CPG Chief Referee and PGA of Czech Republic member who also referees on the Ladies European Tour; Simon Edwards, CPG referee, PGA member and Tournament Director on the MENA Tour who runs his own teaching academy; Andrew Duck, Head Professional at the PGA Golf School at GC Haus Bey in Dusseldorf, Tournament Director of the PGA of Germany, and referee on the DP World Tour and Legends Tour; and Christiane Stenger, also based at GC Haus Bey, Tournament Director on the Ladies European Tour, and referee at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Duck and Stenger were jointly named PGA Professional of the Year in 2024.

The CPG Masterclass Series embodies a range of talks and presentations for PGAs and PGA Professionals that cover a variety of subjects and topics, delivered by world-class, industry leading experts from their respective fields.